Random thoughts on food, cooking, restaurants, food products, food literature and kitchen equipment by Bobby Jay, a retired lawyer living in New York and Paris.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Ostrich -- A Great Beef Substitute

J can't digest beef, although she can eat lamb, pork and even veal. Over the years I have tried to find substitutes but the closest I have come was duck breast, which has a steak-y quality and is otherwise a pretty versatile, readily available meat.

Several years ago, J went to the Golden Door spa, where she had an ostrich burger, which she said was almost indistinguishable from a lean beef burger. I did some research and it turns out that ostrich, despite its rich, meaty flavor and color, is very low in fat and cholesterol, close to white meat chicken.

I followed up by getting some ostrich steaks and ground ostrich through internet sources, and we enjoyed it. In the last couple of years, Roaming Acres Farm has been selling ostrich at various open-air markets in New York City, so it is no struggle to find it.

Ostrich steak au poivre

The trick to cooking ostrich is to keep it rare. If you go to medium
rare, it gets tough and tastes like well-done beef, pretty terrible. I
have recently discovered the perfect way to assure that the ostrich is
cooked to, but not beyond, the perfect temperature: the sous vide
machine. I cook vacuum packed ostrich steaks in the sous vide bath at
127° fahrenheit for about four hours, then cool it in an ice bath and
let it rest in the refrigerator. When you want to finish it, place it in
a smoking hot skillet or under a hot broiler for one minute per side;
it will char on the outside without exceeding 127°.

Last night I make
ostrich steak au poivre, using a recipe for steak from Emeril Lagasse,
of all people. Fa - bu - lous!

About This Blog

This blog records my thoughts and experiences relating to cooking, eating, restaurants, food products and ingredients, kitchen equipment and other matters relating to cuisine.
I do not offer reviews of New York restaurants; there are already enough reviewers and points of view. I will, however, discuss things that I discover at restaurants that may be of interest to others. I will offer brief reviews of selected Paris restaurants, as I am often asked for suggestions by people planning trips to that marvelous and beautiful city. In particular, I report from time to time on my ongoing quest for excellent, reasonably-priced restaurants in Paris; fortunately, there are many.